Propositioning Love

“No,” he calls back. “But I do have an older sister, Rebecca.”

Clara shoots me a pointed look.

“Uh-uh,” I shake my head at her. “Don’t you even dare think about it,” I warn, and then we both start giggling.

“Why?” Mason asks, closing the freezer. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing, honey,” Clara giggles.

Mason shakes his head at us and grabs two wine glasses.

I start to lift my bottle to my mouth, prepared to take a huge swig, when Clara murmurs quietly, “You sure? We could totally be sisters-in-law.”

“Clara, no,” I try to scold her, but the effect is ruined when I snicker a little. “Besides, you don’t even know if she’s single.”

“I do too,” she says smugly to me. “I know everything about Mason.”

Rolling my eyes upwards, I start to lift my bottle up to my mouth again when someone knocks loudly on the door.

The knock is so loud, I shoot Clara a concerned look.

“Oh, did you order pizza too?” Clara calls out to Mason.

“Sounds more like the police…” I mutter and then feel my stomach drop.

Shit. It could totally be the police. They could be here for all the shit that went down with Chad at the office.

“No, I didn’t order any pizza,” Mason says, frowning deeply as he sets the wine glasses down and walks to the door.

Whoever is on the other side knocks loudly again before Mason reaches it.

Noting the concern on my face, Clara reaches over and takes my hand, squeezing it.

“I’m sure whoever it is, it will be fine…” she tries to reassure me. “I got you.”

I squeeze her hand back and smile gratefully at her. Thank god, I have Clara. I don’t think I could handle any of this shit without her.

Mason pulls open the door and pauses in surprise. Then says, “Well, well, well. Isn’t it the man of the hour…”

My heart lurches painfully before my eyes even reach Bry, and then it squeezes tight behind my ribs.

Yep, he’s standing right there in the doorway, looking completely nonplussed by Mason’s statement.

Fuck. How did he find me? Why is he here?

Mason and Bry size each other up, each man looking over the other critically.

Bry breaks eye contact first, searching me out. “Is Zoe here?”

Seeing him again hurts so much I fear I might die from it. The pain that cuts through me is so unbearable I wish I could rip my own heart out to ease the ache.

When his dark, penetrating gaze meets mine, my lungs forget how to work and I suddenly can’t breathe.

“You have some nerve, buddy,” Mason says to Bry, his upper lip curling. Glancing towards Clara and me, he asks, “Want me to kick his ass?”

We both answer at the same time.

“Yes!” Clara says a little too enthusiastically.

“No!” I gasp with what breath I have left.

That’s the last thing I need right now.

Ignoring Clara, Mason peers expectantly at me. “Zoe?”

With a huff, Clara gives Bry her nastiest glare and mutters something that sounds a lot like ‘cock sucking asshole’ under her breath.

Bry just stands in the doorway, staring at me, uncaring or oblivious of Mason’s threat.

“What do you want, Bry? Why are you here?” I ask, the words grating out of my dry throat.

I will not burst into tears, dammit. He doesn’t deserve anymore of my tears.

“I needed to make sure you’re—” Bry starts, only to be cut off by Clara’s rude laugh.

“What you need is to get out of here. Haven’t you hurt her enough?”

I shoot her an annoyed look. Now she’s being just a tad overprotective. She shrugs her shoulders at me, basically saying sorry, not sorry.

Sighing, I close my eyes for a moment, preparing myself before I look at Bry again. Opening them, I’m not the least bit surprised to find that no matter how much I try to steel myself, his gaze, his entire presence, cuts right through me.

“What do you need?” I prompt, giving him a chance he probably doesn’t deserve to finish whatever it was he was trying to say.

He answers without hesitation. “I need to know you’re safe.”

He can’t possibly know how much those words hurt. How much they fucking burn right now coming from him.

“As you can see…” Mason says and sweeps his arm around the apartment. “She’s safe and with people who care about her.”

Bry nods his head slowly, accepting Mason’s statement. Then his eyes break from mine, dropping to the open bottle still gripped in my hand.

The emotions that play out across his face…

Shit.

Shame washes over me. I totally forgot somehow with everything going on that yes, I could be fucking pregnant with his baby.

“Zoe, can we talk in private?”

My first reaction is to tell him no. No we can not talk in private. Everything that needed to be said was said back in the office.

But cutting Bry out of my life completely may not be an option.